


Almost

by LittleLadyBigDreamer



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Date Night, Eve is a cuddler, F/M, Fluff, Flynn cooks fast, I hope, Relationship Development, They're going slow, They're still getting to know each other, and that's okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 06:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6143997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLadyBigDreamer/pseuds/LittleLadyBigDreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dinner plans get cancelled but Flynn has an idea that makes it a better night than either of them thought it would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Almost

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Not So Big Brother is Always Watching](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6097790) by [LittleLadyBigDreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLadyBigDreamer/pseuds/LittleLadyBigDreamer). 



> Okay, I'm sorry this is an actual novel. I got carried away. I started thinking about this from a throwaway reference to it in one of my other stories, Not So Big Brother is Always Watching and then I ended up making them talk and it got long and anyway you'll see. I've been freaking out about whether or not it's totally in character but let me know what you think if you want. Oh and I'm not sure where this is on their relationship timeline, canonically speaking. Happy Reading :)

A flash of blue light illuminated the Annex and Flynn and Eve fell through the door, Eve grabbing him as he stumbled into the coat rack. "Thank you," he uttered in response.

"You're welcome," she smiled, letting go of his arm. "But remember, limb control. It'll help you stabilise when the force of the run messes with your balance."

"I know. But sometimes they flail off by themselves and that's usually when I fall into things," he mumbled with a helpless expression.

Eve chuckled at him. How had she fallen for such a dork? Well, because he was such a dork. "Don't worry, I'll always be here to catch you."

"Oh and I do so like it when you hold me Guardian," he replied, his dimple adorably making itself visible. He stepped forward and held her hands, kissing each one in turn in that way that always made her cheeks turn pink and reveal just how smitten she was with him.

"Ditto."

"Ah Mr Carsen, Colonel." Jenkins nodded to Eve and she quickly pulled her hands away from Flynn's, brushing her hair behind her ear as though she was a teenager who'd just been caught out by her father. "Successful mission?"

"Eh, about as well as it can go with centaurs," Flynn stated with a little shake of his head.

"Well?" Eve cried in disbelief. "We spent five hours just trying to convince them to help us if this Serpent Brotherhood resurgence rumour is true! How is that successful?"

"Well it's kind of...politics," he winced, trying to decipher the easiest way to explain the whole matter.

Jenkins piped up once more at her confusion. "Mr Carsen is quite right in what he's saying, Colonel. The relationship between humans and centaurs has been...rocky at best, for many centuries."

"Rocky," she inquired, eyebrow raised.

"Centaurs faced a lot of prejudice when magic was out in the world the first time," Flynn contributed. "Some of the more powerful holders of magic didn't think they were 'worthy enough' to be treated right and they were persecuted. So they cut themselves off for safety reasons and settled in their own colony. They've never really forgiven us despite the fact that it was so long ago and we've changed...well, most of us."

"Oh," she said simply, feeling like she could understand the frosty reception she and Flynn had received when they'd reached the Highlands (the actual cold weather aside). "Aaaand you couldn't have told me this before we got there?"

"Well it's a long story and we had to travel and it was early," he whined.

"Flynn, we have a magic door that we literally only have to step through and we left at 9. That's what time most people start work," Eve retorted.

"As entertaining as this is," Jenkins interrupted, "I'm going to go and check in with the Fey Legions and see if they've received any news regarding this matter." He headed back towards his lab, shaking his head at the squabbling pair behind him.

 

Oddly, his exit seemed to end their bickering and they spoke no more of it, both lost in their own thoughts for a while. Flynn sat down at their desk and hoisted his legs up onto it to stretch them while Eve perched on the end, both of them wincing as their early morning adventure trekking through Scottish forests caught up with them, limbs beginning to sting a little. At that moment a booming roar sounded across the room and the pair flinched, Eve reaching straight for her gun as both she and Flynn somewhat unconsciously shifted towards each other. "What was that?" she asked, hand hovering over the holster at her waist. "Someone here you think? The Brotherhood?" she added, concern filling her voice.

"No, I don't think so," Flynn replied, shaking his head. "The alarms would've gone off by now. I- I can't work out where it came from. It seems near but...not."

"That's helpful," Eve responded sarcastically, bringing a bit of amusement to the otherwise panicked conversation. He was just about to counter with an equally sassy reply when a breathless Cassandra skidded into the Annex, dripping wet.

"Don't...go...outside," she panted, creating a little circle of water droplets on the floor as she hovered at the doorway, an inside out umbrella swinging in her hand.

"Uh...you okay Cassandra?" Flynn asked in vain because she clearly was not.

"Rain. Lots...of rain."

"Well then why did you walk?" Eve scolded like a mother.

Cassandra frowned at her, unimpressed. "Well it's not like I saw the rain and thought 'oh I'll shower outside today!'" Flynn sniggered at her sassy response, only to be silenced by a glare from Eve. "It was fine when I left, nice even. But then it just started pouring down out of nowhere and there's thunder and everything! I wasn't too far from the Annex so I ran the rest of the way. Luckily I always carry an umbrella, not that it was much use," she continued, frowning even more at the disfigured object in her hand.

"Where are the boys? Do we know they're okay?" Eve asked, a worried frown appearing on her face.

"No they're fine, I spoke to them just before I left. They're in DC on a mission." the redhead answered.

"Together?!" Eve cried. "I'm not sure that makes me feel any better."

"Well both their books took them there so I'm guessing they're going to need each other. They'll have to find a way to get along if that's the case."

"That's true," Eve nodded. "Go get yourself out of those wet clothes and dry your hair. You'll get ill otherwise," she instructed to a sniffling Cassandra as Flynn grinned in admiration, she really did turn into Mother Hen with those three. Cassandra nodded and obediently left for her room in the Annex.

Eve shuffled round to face Flynn, her legs still dangling off the desk. "Magical storm or normal one?" she questioned.

"I'm going with normal, unless you count that thunder clap because it was freakishly loud. But, if it were magical I think we'd have more weird stuff happening and the book would be freaking out with it being so close to us. Besides, most magical ones are normal ones, they're just the effect of magic," he explained as she nodded slowly, taking in the information.

"So...nothing to worry about then?"

"Nope. Unless you can think of a reason we might need to go out there, then we might have some problems."

Eve's eyes suddenly widened with realisation. "But I can think of a reason." Flynn furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "We made a reservation at that place across town. Remember?"

Flynn's expression now matched that of Eve's. "Oh! The fancy one?"

"Yeah. What are we gonna do? We can't take the door in case the boys need it." They'd specifically made plans for date night to be that night and at a place a little way from the Annex so they could have just one normal night and not be tempted to run to the aid of the three Librarians or talk shop or be frowned at by an apparently disturbed Jenkins with their giggling as they sneaked kisses behind his back like teenagers.

Flynn stood up and stepped closer to her, lacing their fingers together as he held her hands. "Well, we could wait it out and see if gets any better?" he suggested, a soft smile appearing on his face.

She looked up at him and mirrored his smile, eyes filled with adoration. "Yeah, okay let's do that."

"Okay," he murmured before pressing his lips to her hairline and rubbing a hand up and down her back. He knew how much it had meant to her for them to have a normal night out. As much as they both loved their work and the team, they also appreciated time alone when they didn't have to be Librarian and Guardian or Team Mom and Dad as Ezekiel liked to refer to them as (which he only did if Eve wasn't around to give him her death glare), time when they could just be two people whose lives had been entwined and who were now taking the time to get to know one another, even though they both knew they were falling fast for each other. He also wanted to make sure he gave her normal. Sure she'd had her fair share of work craziness and that made maintaining a relationship difficult, but this life was different, magic was a whole other level of crazy. He'd had time, ten years, to get used to it and he knew how one could get lost in it all so he'd vowed to himself that he'd make time for them, just them, and ensure that they could work as a couple, with and without the Library involved.

* * *

A few hours later the crashes of thunder had stopped but they could still hear the patter of raindrops as they fell onto the Annex roof. Jake and Ezekiel were still out on their mission and a now warm and dry Cassandra was helping Jenkins with an experiment in his lab. The two sat in relative silence working on their individual tasks until Eve looked up at the clock on the wall, which didn't go unnoticed by Flynn. "You wanna see what it's like out there?" he asked, knowing what was still on her mind. She smiled softly and nodded and joined him as he stood up to walk towards the exit. Their arms brushed together as they walked down the dimly lit hallway, the concrete walls making them feel further from the outside world than they actually were, and Flynn felt Eve shiver as they reached the entrance and the cold air ran over them. He opened the large metal doors and their gaze fell upon thick grey clouds from which descended heavy showers of rain all while sharp gusts of wind pulled on the trees and rattled fences and doors. There was no way they'd be able to make it all the way across town in that, at least not dry and suitable enough for the upscale restaurant. The couple looked at one another and then back towards the blustering chaos before them. "So I guess we need to reschedule?" Eve murmured sorrowfully.

"Yeah," Flynn replied as he shut the door and they began to walk back to the main room. "Wait, no," he suddenly corrected himself, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards him. "We should probably cancel the reservation but we don't need to cancel date night."

"Uh I guess that's true," she responded, her expression thoughtful as she considered his suggestion.

He led them back towards their desk, an excited look now illuminating his face. "Get your stuff together, I'm just gonna let the others know we're going for the evening and we'll head off."

She watched him dash off towards Jenkins' lab, limbs flailing about as he went. "Uh 'kay."

A few seconds later he rushed back putting his phone into his pocket. "I called the restaurant, they said the storm's put a lot of a people off, some of their staff haven't even made it in." He wrapped an arm around her waist when he reached her and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Where are we going?"

He held her hand and pulled her towards the back door, opening it to reveal the main Library. "My place," he beamed as though it was an obvious answer.

* * *

"Just a couple seconds more," he said cheerfully, dragging the latter words out. Whereabouts in the Library they were Eve wasn't sure, she'd just gripped his hand and followed him meekly past bookshelves and artifacts, up a long staircase and down a number of long corridors. They rounded the corner of yet another corridor then stopped in front of a single wooden door that had _Librarian_ etched into a little plaque that was fixed on it. "It's a little outdated," he informed her, giving her a sheepish smile. He fumbled about in his pocket and produced a bunch of keys which he hurriedly shoved into the lock before pushing the door. The door swung open and Eve's eyes widened as her mouth fell open. A painted mass of white covered the walls, and the relatively high ceiling made the room look bigger than it probably was. Eve's eyes focused on a kitchenette at the back right of the room where glossy white cupboards were matched with black worktops, just in front of which there was a long black corner sofa that surrounded a small glass coffee table, a threaded charcoal rug nestled under it. The couch faced a modern fireplace which was built into a wall, and hidden in the corner just next to it Eve was surprised to see a TV. On the far left corner a very messy, very Flynn-esqu desk was covered with books which looked out of place in the modern setting. A series of black bookshelves lined the wall leading from the 'study' all the way down to the door, and just before the kitchen Eve noticed a small corridor off to the side that apparently lead down to a few more rooms, where she assumed were the bathroom and bedroom.

"Woah," was the only sound that left her mouth in the moments following. " _This_ is your apartment?"

"Yeah," he replied, He chuckled and walked over to her, lightly pulling her away from the doorway where she was stood frozen. "Come on."

She'd never been to his place, she'd known it was in the Library but they'd never spent time there. That may have been partly down to her, they always hung out at her place since it was the only way to get him away from his work when he'd barely slept and had his head in too many books to count, and she always preferred being at her own apartment, in a place where she felt she had more control. Quite often she'd find him drooling on their desk, papers flapping as he snored, and would have to wake him and bring him home to make sure he slept properly on an actual bed. Other times he'd fall asleep on one of the couches in the Annex and instead of bothering to haul him up and drag him home she'd simply throw a blanket over him and settle down next to him, loving the feel of his arm automatically wrap around her as soon as he sensed her (except that first time when he'd woken up in the middle of the night and just screamed in her ear because he wasn't expecting her to be there, leading her to do the same until they were both just sitting there screaming in each other's faces which then meant they were then in fits of laughter once they'd realised what they were doing). "It's so...modern," she thought out loud. "Not what I would've expected...of you or the Library."

"Well, the Library isn't always about what's old, it's about what's important."

"Okay you stole that quote from somewhere." He shrugged innocently, not giving anything away. "Anyway, what's important about your apartment being modern?" she asked, puzzled.

"Well it means I have functioning plumbing and a great coffee machine-"

"Definitely important," she cut in.

"-and it's great for impressing the ladies," he continued, winking at her with a smirk.

She couldn't help but laugh at his assertion. "Oh and exactly how many women have you brought back here, stud?" she teased with a grin.

"None actually," he admitted. "Unless you count Charlene storming in at 8am and shouting about receipts."

"Sounds about right," she chuckled, not admitting that even she was a tad afraid of the tiny but fierce woman. "It's great though, a lot tidier than I would've thought, no offence."

"I don't really spend much time here. I did at first, well, at first I had my own apartment in New York but then I started spending more time at the Library and then after my mom and Judson..." His face fell slightly as he trailed off and she nodded in understanding. "It just made sense to move in here. But then you came along," he beamed at her and his entire face lit up once more.

"Yeah my apartment must be claustrophobic for you."

"No. I love your apartment, it's great. Besides, it has one thing this place usually doesn't."

"What?" she asked curiously.

"You," he stated simply, loving the way her eyes sparkled in response.  He grabbed her waist and yanked her forward so their bodies were pressed together then brushed her hair behind her ear before crashing his lips onto hers, feeling a little smug as she made a slight noise at the sudden embrace which was followed by a small sigh of contentment as she melted into him. "I've been wanting to do that all day," he whispered as they parted.

Her stomach flipped and her heart fluttered as she attempted to flicker her eyes open. "Well," she breathed. "I'm glad you finally did."

He smiled before suddenly spinning around and walking over to the kitchen, almost sending her flying as he did, not that he was aware. "Right! I better get started!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.

"Started?"

"On dinner. I'm cooking you dinner. Did I not mention that?"

"Uh, no," she replied, following him and leaning against the breakfast bar that was joined onto the counter-top.

"Oh. Well I am. I thought since we couldn't go out we could stay here and have a cosy night in...that is okay isn't it?" he added quickly in a panic.

"Yeah of course. It sounds great," she smiled encouragingly. "Can I help with anything?"

"Uh no, no thanks, not yet anyway. I think I..." He trailed off as he became focused on his task and she smiled as she watched him. She always loved seeing him engrossed in something, whatever it was. It was as though he shut himself off from everything and delved into the task in hand, despite his erratic and wandering mind. She got the feeling he thought of her like that sometimes, like she was the only one in the world and she loved that she could capture his focus like that. But what made it different was the way he looked at her when they were together, he always looked at her like he almost couldn't believe she existed and it made her whole body limp every time. It was unfamiliar and weird, in a good way, but weird all the same. She'd never felt that she could mean that much to someone. Sure she'd had long term relationships and I love you's were thrown around but it was different this time, she didn't mean to sound like a cliche but...Flynn was different, he was like no one she'd ever met before. He angered her with his inability to listen and always living by the seat of his pants, his disregard of the consequences of his failure to make plans and the way he never shut up. Except it was those exact things she loved about him...well not loved, they weren't quite there exactly (although they weren't not either), but she adored the way he was always babbling and how he kept her on her toes, how he could be so distracted but took note of the little things, like how she took her coffee or the fact that she preferred to sleep with the curtains open because wherever her work had taken her over the years she'd always found comfort in knowing that she always looked up at the same moon.

After a few more offers to help him, all of which he politely declined, and with a growing feeling of redundancy as she hovered around Eve grabbed her bag from the stool next to her, quickly checking inside to make sure it contained everything she thought it did. "Um Flynn, can I use your shower," she asked as he intensely chopped mushrooms. She didn't know why she felt so shy about asking, it wasn't like he'd never used hers, heck he'd even used it while she stood at the sink and got ready, all the while making sure her gaze was absolutely on the mascara she was trying to apply and nowhere else.

His eyes shot up towards her and he seemed to snap out of a haze. "Huh, yeah, yeah sure, of course. First door on the left, towels are in the cupboard and help yourself to anything else that's in there."

"Thanks," she smiled before strolling off to where he'd directed her. She entered the bathroom and looked around, once again impressed with the decor. Black tiles adorned the walls and floor, paired with the colour of the two cupboards and the outside of the bath tub, which a part of her mind noted was big enough for two. Everywhere else was a glistening white, sparkling under the spotlights, as though the colour scheme for this room was a complete inversion of the main room, and Eve couldn't help but think Flynn either really didn't spend much time here or was more obsessively clean than she had assumed (the logical part of her mind told her it was a combination of the two). She found a towel and hung it over the shower screen before cautiously turning what she hoped was the right dial and stepping onto the cubicle tray once the water had warmed up. She sighed and relaxed under the water as it ran down her tired body, washing away the events of the day, then leaned down to pick up the one shower gel almost hidden in the corner of the cubicle and was silently thankful she always kept a razor in her gym bag; smooth legs were great if a night involved cuddling, which she sincerely hoped it did.  As she lathered the liquid over her she was hit by a familiar smell and smiled as she realised what it was: Flynn. It was the scent she smelt when he was ready for date night, the scent she smelt whenever they held one another and her face would burrow itself in his neck, it was as though he was there with her, wrapping his arms around her and making her feel as though that's exactly where they were both supposed to be. The thought created a swirling in her stomach that overwhelmed her and she hastily washed the soap away and turned the shower off forcing herself to snap out of her daydream. No, they weren't ready for that, she tried to convince herself, except why did her throat always go dry whenever he walked out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist or why when he whispered to her how much he adored her did she get the sudden urge to kiss him passionately and let her hands wander? She sighed in frustration at the confusion the man inflicted upon her. Get it together Baird, she scolded as dried herself and slipped on her underwear. She groaned as she pulled her clothes out of her bag. No, she thought, it was too late and she was too tired to force herself to be comfortable in skinny jeans so she shoved them back into her bag and slowly slipped out of the door back towards the kitchen.

The rich smell of chocolate filled her senses as soon as she opened the door and she found Flynn hovering intently over the counter, inspecting what she assumed were cakes of some kind. "Flynn," she voiced meekly as she hovered by the wall in her underwear, "um I don't really want to be wearing jeans if we're having a cosy night in, do you have anything I can borrow?"

He finally looked up as she finished asking her question, only to do a double take and stare at her, taking in the simple but unmistakable black lace she was wearing. His jaw dropped open and he deflated one of the cakes in front of him from which poured a slow trickle of melted chocolate. It took everything in Eve not to laugh at his unconscious movement - so apparently dessert was chocolate lava cake, great. "Uh um, y- uh, yeah, yeah you do," he muttered incoherently before shaking his head and correcting himself, eyes not moving away from her for a second. "I mean uh, I, _I_ have things...for you...to wear." He set down the fork he was holding and lead her to the second door in the small corridor which opened into a medium sized bedroom that had a couple of sections of brick wall, much like a New York apartment, and against one was an immaculately made king sized bed with a fluffy looking black duvet and two small cabinets either side of it, one which displayed a lamp and a clock, the other of which was unsurprisingly buried in stacks of books. Flynn wandered over to the far corner of the room and slid open a black door which revealed a small walk-in closet in which hung his impressive collection of suits and shirts as well as casual clothes which she couldn't imagine him in. As he rifled through a section of the shelves she peered out of the window that lay adjacent to the closet.

"Flynn, why is it so dark outside? And how come it's not raining? I swear I could hear it a second ago in the kitchen."

He poked his head out from a pile of t-shirts to reply. "Because it's not Portland outside."

"What?" she cried. "Did the Library just relocate again? Can it do that without us knowing? And what about the others, where's the Annex?" she ranted in a panic.

"No, no, _we're_ still in Portland just the view from the window is not." Upon seeing her confused frown he continued to explain. "This room is not too dissimilar from one of my early apartments in New York and you know I grew up there and everything? The view is of New York...it's kind of like a comfort thing, in case I ever get homesick or anything I guess. That's why I have the clock," he added, motioning to the illuminated device on the nightstand, "so I know what time it actually is because if I look out the window it gives me the wrong time zone, kind of confusing I know, but you get used to it."

"Oh." At least that explained the alarm clock which was probably the most surprising thing about his place. "Do you?" she began, then realised she hadn't really asked a full question. "Get homesick, I mean."

He walked out of the closet, a few items in hand before looking her in the eyes and saying with a smile, "Not lately." She felt herself blush slightly and gave him a smile back, knowing exactly what he was implying, she felt it too. He handed her the clothes, a pair of black pyjama bottoms and a grey shirt, before hovering for a minute in front of her. He kissed her cheek awkwardly and murmured "I'll uh, I'll leave you to it" before leaving the room. She was suddenly aware that she had had the whole conversation while standing in her underwear and okay a part of her had fully intended that to happen but the other part had forgotten and was now feeling a little smug at his reaction. He'd never really seen her in her underwear before, even though he'd stayed over at her place and they'd shared a bed. She always dressed completely before she left the bathroom and even when she changed in front of him she did it discreetly so it wouldn't appear too suggestive. She pulled on the clothes, which also smelt like him and headed back to him, stopping at the bathroom on the way to pick up her things.

 

"Better?" he asked in greeting as she appeared in front of him again.

"Much," she replied gratefully. "Thank you. By the way, I _love_ that these bottoms actually fit the length of my legs."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "that must be really annoying for you, but don't feel bad about being tall."

"I don't. But thank you for understanding."

"That's one of my college shirts you know," he informed her as she glanced down at the NYU insignia on the shirt.

"Mm I thought it might be. Go...Violets?" she guessed, trying to remember the teams from when they were talked about between actual league matches during game season.

He shrugged. "Dunno, I wasn't exactly athletic at college...or ever really."

She laughed, imagining a young Flynn with his head in a million books in the college library as he got increasingly frustrated by cheering and the music of the marching band as the school geared up for a game against a rival team. "Whoever they are, they go to a college that makes very comfy shirts." (He should have known then that he wasn't going to get it back. Initially she'd slip into it whenever she stayed over but had then taken it and kept it at her place under the pretence of it being available for him to wear should he stay over unexpectedly. He'd never worn it again but he didn't mind since he loved seeing her in his clothes, it was one of the really couple-y things they did. The best time he found her in it was when he'd come back to her place slightly early after a mission had gone ridiculously well and he'd been in and out of the Amazon in about three hours only to find her cooking while simultaneously dancing around to Taylor Swift in shorts and his shirt, not noticing he was there until a good few minutes later when she'd already attempted the high note in the song. He realised in that moment that he'd never seen her look so beautiful, in her comfy clothes, hair hanging at her shoulders and goofing around seemingly without a care in the world, not feeling as though she needed to present a particular image of herself).

"Here you go." Flynn spun around from the cooker and handed her a steaming plate of food which she inhaled as the smell wafted towards her.

"Mmm that smells amazing," she complimented, emphasising the last word. She hovered for a moment wondering where they were going to sit.

"There." He motioned with his head to the couch, guessing why she was still standing around.

Eve frowned at him. "You made all this, we can't just sit on the couch."

"Do you see anywhere else for us to sit?" he replied with a hint of sass. "Unless the bed's more your style?" he added with a smirk.

She squinted her eyes at him in a mock glare. "Couch is fine thank you."

They sat down, plates in hand, Eve being especially careful with hers, not wanting to destroy the seemingly immaculate apartment. Almost as soon as he was seated Flynn shot up again. "Ooh drinks! Sorry." He left his plate on the coffee table and ran back towards the kitchen, sticking his head into the fridge when he got there. "Beer? Wine? No, you like beer. Beer?" He poked his head back out to receive an answer.

"You went to all this effort, bring the wine Librarian," she smiled.

"Wine, right." She chuckled and shook her head as he spun about again searching for the drawer that held the corkscrew. "Aha!" he declared victoriously before making his way back over to her and finally settling down to eat.

"I can't believe you made this, so quickly too. It looks great," she said, poking her fork around and grabbing a piece of the stuffed chicken, catching a mushroom too as it floated slightly in the white wine sauce he'd made to go with it. She took the first bite and her eyes closed as the flavours hit her taste buds. "Wow," she breathed once she opened her eyes again. "Okay, you know how in relationships you're not supposed to keep secrets?"

"Yeah," he replied questioningly, slight panic striking him as he was wondering where she was going with it.

"Well how come you never told me you could cook?!"

"Uh, it never came up in conversation? It's not that great anyway, I mean it's okay I guess considering I hadn't really prepared anything and-"

"Flynn. I feel like I've died and gone to some kind of Italian heaven. I can't believe you don't think it's great...it's not like you to not acknowledge your talents," she teased.

"I dunno, it's just...I feel like I can make something better...for you. I _want_ to make something better for you" he mumbled, looking down at his plate, suddenly very shy.

Eve looked at his drooping head, quite aware that she'd never really seen him like this before, sad and with a lack of faith in himself sure, but not shy. But of course she found it ridiculously cute and it melted her heart to hear him say he wanted to do things especially for her, and to know that what normal people considered great he still thought of as mediocre and not good enough _for her_. She held her plate carefully with one hand and hooked a finger under his chin, lifting his head and making him look her in the eye. "I think this is amazing and that you should be very proud of your ability. And I think you're incredible generally, but the fact that you want to make things extra special for me...no one's ever done that before." She tilted his head towards hers a little and caught his lips between hers, feeling him sink into her slightly before she pulled away. "But if you've got a whole lot more of incredible up your sleeve I look forward to tasting it," she grinned at him, encouragingly.

* * *

They finished off their mains and Eve listened intently while Flynn told her more about his apartments and how excited he was to get his first one and move out of his mom's place, even though it killed him to see her so sad about him leaving. "I used to go back at the weekends, especially on Sunday. Sunday she'd cook, that's kind of where I learned it all," he told her as she washed the last of the dishes. She'd insisted on clearing away since he'd cooked, even though he informed her that most of it could go in the dishwasher, and so he'd resigned himself to leaning against the breakfast bar since she kept batting her arms at him whenever he tried to help. She dried her hands and went to grab her glass of wine from the table before wandering about the room, still listening, while he prepared the finishing touches to dessert. "I always made sure to help her cook whenever I didn't have my head in a book, especially since it was only really the two of us. So Sunday's were our day. "She gave him a soft smile and was about to reply when something caught her eye. Between two of the overfilled bookcases against the wall was a small gap upon which hung a small black frame containing a sentence, no, a quote. She walked closer to it so she was able to read it. _The things that make life living can't be thought, they must be felt._ "That's her too...well, paraphrased," she heard Flynn say from behind her. He was now stood beside her, two desserts in hand, and she turned to face him.

"Huh?"

He motioned to the frame on the wall before turning and leading her back to the couch. "My mom said that to me before I left for my interview at the Library. I'd impressed Charlene in the interview," he said somewhat smugly, "a very scary Charlene for someone who'd never had a real job and thought he was funny," he added, and Eve grinned as they settled back down on the couch, this time curling up together in the corner of it. "Then a voice came out of nowhere, it was Judson, not that I knew at the time, and he asked me what was more important than knowledge. I was stumped at first because obviously books and education had been my life, I mean obviously they still are but I've experienced more since then. But I remembered what my mom said and repeated it to him. Next thing I knew Charlene was telling the rest of the candidates to go home and...here I am."

"You never told me that part of the story before," she said, smiling up at him.

"No." He shook his head in agreement with her statement. "But it helped me to understand a lot. That's why I keep it between the shelves of books." She crossed her eyebrows questioningly. "It's kind of like a metaphor, to remind me of what's important when I get lost in my work."

"Oh. Your mom sounds great," Eve declared softly. "Especially if she's the reason you can make this because oh my god Flynn this is beyond incredible," she mumbled through a mouth full of cake.

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you like it. She would've liked you, you know."

"You think?" she whispered, feeling honoured at his statement.

"Yeah. She was always trying to set me up, once even with my cousin!"

"Wow. That's...dedicated. So she'd just be happy you have a- me," she said, deciding she didn't want to use the word girlfriend since they weren't teenagers and it felt more special than that.

"Well yeah, but you look out for me and you keep me grounded. She was always worried about me losing my head in the clouds."

"She had a right to be worried about that," Eve teased.

Flynn grinned, knowing he couldn't exactly argue about that. "Most of all I think she'd see how happy you make me. 'Cause you do, you know. I know things, a lot of things obviously, it's why I'm here but when I'm with you I...I _feel_."

Eve stared into his eyes as they bore into hers, twinkling with adoration, and her breath caught in her throat. "You're way too perfect to be real," she whispered, feeling like a girl in a cheesy movie.

"Well, I do try," he replied with a smirk and an eyebrow raise. There it was, back to the self-satisfied grin and confidence, she thought, rolling her eyes.

"And annoying. Did I mention you're annoying?" she retorted, lightly smacking his chest.

He laughed at her and took the empty plate from her hand, leaning over to put it on the floor and pile his on top before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, kissing the top of her head once more. "Maybe once or twice, but you still love me," he said absentmindedly. He felt her tense in his embrace at the same moment that he froze, realising what he'd just said out loud. "Uh, I mean, that's not what I- I didn't mean- I don't want to assume or anything, it's not like we've been uh for that long, I mean not officially, or have we? I don't know," he babbled, failing at an attempt to recover.

Eve just stared at him, partly amused by his rambling, partly in shock at what he'd just said and absolutely terrified of the words she was sure she should just push back down but was about to say anyway. "No" she said simply, bringing a hand up to his face and cupping his cheek. His erratic gaze immediately focused on her and his breathing seemed to slow at her touch. "I- I do. I think." She winced as she realised how it sounded. "I mean, I _feel_ like I do," she whispered, clearly trying to decipher her own feelings. "You're right, we haven't been...official for that long, or have we? I'm not sure either. But it doesn't feel like we're rushing, it doesn't feel...wrong, to say it or feel it or think it. Does it?" she asked, hoping with all her heart she wasn't about to be crushed.

Flynn shook his head, a hint of a smile apparent through his dimple. "No. I- I _feel_ it too," he whispered back before pressing his lips to hers, loving the feel of her fingers tangling at the nape of his neck. Eve's whole body warmed at his words and the way his lips glided over hers. It did feel right, they still weren't there but they were...almost, and it was a big step for them both to have voiced their feelings. This is good she thought as his hand came up to brush her hair back from her face then pulled her even closer to him, at least they both knew where they stood, they had clarity and clarity was good.

They parted but Flynn kept his head tilted and rested his forehead against Eve's, while she kept her eyes closed and breathed him in. "So," she murmured, "that's that awkwardly sorted."

He laughed and she smiled as she felt his breath warm her skin. "Yeah, guess so."

"What now?"

"Now," he began as he pulled away and shuffled them both upwards so they were sat upright, although their legs were still hunched up on the couch. "We eat more cake."

"Oh my god!" Eve flopped back down again as he crawled over her and off the coach, and made his way to the kitchen area, taking their dishes with him. "Flynn I can't, I'm stuffed. It was _so_ good but even this elasticated waist is starting to feel tight."

He wandered back over and crouched down beside her so his head was level with hers before waving the pudding around in front of her face. "Come on, little bit more. There's only one left."

"Flynn, if I eat another thing you're going to have to carry me home."

"I would gladly do that," he beamed at her. "Or else I'll just leave you here while I sleep in my comfy bed."

She smacked his arm and glared at him. "Hey! Well at least I'll be free from violence if you're sleeping alone," she retorted. They'd shared a bed a few times now and she loved it but it took them both a while to adjust to a new body invading their space. She had learned that Flynn liked to spread out across the bed like a starfish meaning that the first few times he'd stayed in her bed she'd been woken up multiple times by either him accidentally kicking her or smacking her in the face as he spread his limbs, trying to find space.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said honestly, scrunching up his face. "Anyway, scooch over," he instructed, and she shuffled over to the very corner of the sofa where he'd been sitting a minute earlier as he settled down next to her, one cake and one fork in hand. He plunged the fork into the warm cake and the smell of chocolate drifted her way as she saw the cake was now being covered slightly with melted chocolate. He ate a piece and tried to persuade her even more as it rolled about in his mouth. "Mmm," he murmured, exaggerating in both tone and volume. "It's so good. You know, it might even be better than the first one. This could possibly be the best of the batch and you'll never know."

"Yeah, hang on I thought I saw four of them. How come this is the last one?" she asked, pretending as though she hadn't witnessed the earlier incident.

"Uh, that one...broke. It didn't really uh- well the liquid came out and if I heat it it'll burn and won't taste right and the cake will be dry," he mumbled as Eve giggled silently to herself. 

She watched as he dug another piece out and brought it to his lips, then acting on impulse she reached for the utensil, his hand still gripped onto it, and changed the direction of his hand, bringing it up to her own mouth before devouring the chocolate-y bite, lips sliding off the fork. 

Flynn stared her. "Mmm. You're right, it was the best one," she admitted, licking her lips. She realised he was still staring at her. "What? You made it look good," she shrugged innocently, as though it was his fault she'd stolen his dessert. 

He finally blinked and seemed to get his voice back, though he had to clear his throat first and even then it was still a bit rough. "What? Because of how I described it or because I had my mouth on it?" he asked with a quipped eyebrow, seemingly getting his confidence back. She rolled her eyes but couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face at his suggestive implication. He was so sweet and adorable with her most of the time that she sometimes forgot he was a normal guy that thought about...normal guy things.

"Because you kept waving it about and I kept smelling it. You can't just sit around smelling chocolate and not eat it," she stated defiantly as though it were the law of the land. They sat for a while longer finishing the cake, switching the fork between them, Flynn sometimes feeding her. She felt a little weird about it first, she'd never allowed anyone to feed her, in fact she liked to believe she was completely self-sufficient from the moment she was born, but eventually it felt natural and more sweet than cheesy, even when he'd tease her with a forkful, pulling it from her reach until she was pouting which meant he then gave in and pecked her nose. It was all so unbelievably soppy and romantic, the kind of sweet that could rot your teeth and usually she'd be mortified at being a part of it or seeing it, but she didn't. She didn't know what he'd done exactly but for the first time she found herself getting lost in something unfamiliar and adorable, and she was loving it. 

He'd felt her shiver just once and immediately got up to switch on the fire, clearing the last of the dishes and quickly running to his room to change into pyjama bottoms himself, and Eve grinned as she watched him flit from place to place. He came back with a large blanket and Eve was about to question it when he laid it over her and she saw that although he'd changed, he'd left his shirt off. Uh oh, she thought as he head became a hazy mess while her heart fluttered and her stomach flipped. She wasn't one for being overly obsessed with looks but from the first moment she'd seen Flynn without a shirt she'd known she was in trouble. He wasn't finely chiselled like an Abercrombie model, nor had he let himself go, he was a sort of in between that was normal and illustrated the effect of all the running his job entailed, the kind of in between that told a story with every scar. He was real and she was flabbergasted every time she saw him. "Eve?" he asked, seemingly waiting for a response. He must have been talking to her the whole time she had been in her trance. Dammit Baird, focus, she scolded. "Are you sure you're okay out here? We can uh...we can go in the bedroom if you want?"

Oh. What did she want? Well, right now there was inaudible excitement stirring through her body and if that was given the chance to see him as he was in that moment laid out on a bed, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop herself from doing something stupid and ruining what sweetness and contentment they currently had at this stage of their relationship. "Um, here is fine, if you're okay with it?" Apparently she was staying over and apparently they would on the couch for a lot of that time.

"Yeah fine," he said smiling. He straightened out the blanket, tucking it in around her before fluffing a couple of pillows and snuggling up next to her, wrapping an arm around her as she entwined her leg with his. The fire flickered in the now dark room and he loved seeing the way it lit up her face, making the whole embrace seem more intimate, as though for some reason they were now about to bare their souls to one another.  

* * *

"It's still going pretty hard out there," Eve commented a while later as the rain sounded against the windows (they'd entered the room from the middle of a corridor so how there were windows she wasn't exactly sure, but this was the Library so she didn't bother to ask). "Wait, that side is Portland right?" she suddenly added, pointing behind her to the high windows across the room.

"Yeah," Flynn chuckled as he ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her face. "It's a good job we stayed in."

"Mmm. You have the best ideas you know that? I see why they gave you the job all those years ago," she teased with a small grin. 

"I won't argue with that."

"Thank you for all this by the way. It's just what we needed I think."

"Well, my food was probably a lot better than theirs would be anyway," he boasted, with a teasing smirk.

"Oh god. I'm going to regret telling you you have talent aren't I?"

"Probably."

She laughed softly and rolled her eyes. "Although, a girl could get used to this you know?"

"Good. I could get used to doing it for you." Eve's eyes sparkled and her face lit up at his declaration. She beamed at him and brought a hand up to the back of his neck, thumb barely stroking the edge of his cheek, brushing across the slight stubble that was beginning to grow. She pulled him towards her and brought his lips to where hers were waiting, slightly open, and breathed a slight sigh of relief as his lips, warm, soft and tasting of chocolate finally met hers. Their noses rubbed together less awkwardly than one might have imagined as he sank into her, and she pulled him closer as she felt his hand slide over her arm and down her waist. As his hands crept up under her shirt and settled on her back she shifted slightly so that she was almost on top of him, their legs still tangling together and her breath caught in her throat as his lips trailed across her jaw and down to her neck. Their breaths were hot and heavy, short and fast, demonstrative of their sudden ignited passion. Eve slid her hand down to his chest, feeling the warmth his body always exuded, one hand now holding her atop him, and whimpered slightly as his hands shifted from her hips upwards, thumbs stroking just below the wire of her bra. She deepened the kiss and felt as though a fire was burning through her as his hands explored her skin and their stomachs pressed together. He felt her somewhat hesitantly glide her hand down to his waist and hook her fingers in his waistband and it was at that moment he realised just what they were doing. He flickered his eyes open, forcing himself to snap out of his haze, and pulled away from her slightly.  

"Eve," he rasped, panting. 

Her own eyes fluttered open once she became aware that his lips were no longer on her. "Hmm?" was all she managed to voice as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Uh, don't- don't take this the wrong way but...I'm really tired."

He winced as he waited for a response but she merely blinked at him. "Oh my god I'm so glad you said that" she admitted to his surprise after several seconds, resting her forehead on his chest. "I'm exhausted! I think my legs are still catching up from running across Scotland this morning."

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist as she settled back at his side. "Hold on, then why were you initiating...you know?" he frowned. 

"Because I thought you wanted to," she shrugged.

"Eve," he murmured, brushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I do want to, don't get me wrong, I absolutely do. But I don't want to fall asleep on you, and I definitely don't want to if you're not ready."

"But I am," she attempted to persuade him before meekly adding, "almost."

"I know. That's part of why I stopped you when I realised how far we were going. I can see it your eyes."

"But we've shared a bed and seen each other semi-naked and tonight we almost said it and the whole night has been the perfect setting...so I thought you..." She trailed and broke eye contact with him, dropping her head as though feeling shameful.

He lifted her head with his finger and refocused her gaze upon him almost immediately. "Hey," he whispered. "Yes we've done all that and yes tonight has been perfect and it's great that we got our feelings out there but that doesn't mean I expect anything from you."

"You don't?" 

"No. I didn't say- okay almost said, what I did because I...want anything from you, I said it because I meant it."

Flynn noticed Eve's expression soften and a slight dimple appeared at her cheek, lighting up her face. "It's not that I don't want to either. I really really do but...it's just been a while and this is a big step for us. There's no going back and we're not just a normal couple, we have to take things like work and the others into account, especially if anything goes...wrong. I don't want to suggest that it will but it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for us. But even so...what I feel when I'm with you I've never felt before and I feel like a teenager with butterflies all the time and I thought that would bug me because I'm not that kind of girl but...it doesn't, because it's you. I just don't want to ruin what we have by going too far too soon."

"But you were going to because you thought it was what I wanted?" She nodded meekly and he pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as he did. "You're incredible, if a little crazy."

She smiled as she settled against his chest, overwhelmed at being able to feel his heart beat. "Of course I'm crazy, I love _you_ don't I...almost."

He squeezed her a little as he held her in his arms. "I love you too...almost." It wasn't an official declaration and could've been slightly offensive, but it wasn't. It was enough for them and enough for Eve's own heart to start bouncing around as her stomach flipped and her whole body warmed. They were going slow and she appreciated that he knew that was exactly what she needed. "So we're okay to just lie here and cuddle?" he asked.

"Always assume it's okay to cuddle." She'd never really said anything like that to someone, even if it had been true at the time. The rare times she'd been in a relationship with a colleague they'd still seen her as a soldier and had assumed she wasn't one for snuggling and although part of her was happy her tough exterior image wasn't lost, the other part really wanted someone to hold her. It also mattered that this was Flynn, Flynn who she'd almost lost, Flynn who'd almost lost her, Flynn who'd both seen her cry and expressed his desire to want to be with her within a few days of meeting her. Eve settled against his chest, closing her eyes as contentment permeated through her. As much as she wanted to take the next step she also wanted so savour the one they were currently at, it was sweet and warm and for some reason it made them open up to each other far more than either of them was used to. But that was the effect he had on her anyway, she always felt like she could let her guard down with Flynn (somewhat ironically given her job title). "Flynn. This really has been a perfect night."

"Hopefully one of many," he replied, bringing a hand up to curl around her head and hold her more protectively than he'd ever held any artifact. He felt her cheeks lift slightly as she smiled and couldn't help but mimic her expression, thrilled to know he could make her happy. 

"Goodnight Flynn," she whispered, pulling the blanket up around them before resting her palm on his stomach.

"Goodnight Eve," he murmured in response, overwhelmed by the fact that he was about to fall asleep with the most incredible woman he'd ever known safe in his arms.  

**Author's Note:**

> Woohoo if you made it! I feel like I owe you chocolates, or maybe I should've handed out popcorn at the start. Dammit, maybe next time. Thanks for reading and as usual, anything and everything is appreciated. For prompts or conversation or what have you, I can be found on Tumblr under TheOneWithAllTheFangirling :)


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